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Any general advice on how to do this? I have hornbooks for Civ Pro, Contracts, and Crim Law and not really sure how I should be approaching this.

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Read the relevant sections corresponding to your syllabus. Reflect upon the material you've read, digest it, use it.

TL;DR: Read them like a book.

brotherdarkness wrote:Read them?

That's really not helpful, Captain Obvious. What should I be focusing on and taking notes on while I'm reading them?

For instance, when studying with supplements (using Torts as an example) I would read the section that mirrored the teacher's casebook assignment and write down any rules. Then I'd look through for any exceptions and ambiguity and write this all down in my outline under the proper heading, and then do all the hypos at the end.

stillwater wrote:Read the relevant sections corresponding to your syllabus. Reflect upon the material you've read, digest it, use it.

TL;DR: Read them like a book.

Right on. Probably just the same approach as E&E's then. Thanks. I'll probably update this thread in a week or so.

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Virindi wrote:

stillwater wrote:Read the relevant sections corresponding to your syllabus. Reflect upon the material you've read, digest it, use it.

TL;DR: Read them like a book.

Right on. Probably just the same approach as E&E's then. Thanks. I'll probably update this thread in a week or so.

Yeah, it's like a more convoluted E&E. I never touched hornbooks.. but stillwater's got the idea right. Good luck.

Use parol evidence rule for hornbooks.

Use hornbooks to supplement/clarify, but never contradict the professor (yes, it happens).

I'd say don't touch them unless you don't think you're understanding a concept. The problem sometimes is that a hornbook may use slightly different terminology, or explain things in a different order than your professor taught, and come exam time your professor wants to see HIS / HER teaching, phrasing, etc. Your textbook, believe it or not, probably has all the answers you ever need to know. Also, a hornbook may bog you down with excessive details, and you risk losing the forest for the trees.

Buy one hornbook per class, and use it as needed. But remember, your professor is the one grading your exam. Not Chemerinsky. You need to write the exam answers using the same words your professor would use, not what a horn-book would use. Use hornbooks solely to clarify issues arising after you've reviewed your notes. Professors test the rules they've taught to the class.

Bottom line? IT'S JANUARY DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT YET.

First thing I would figure out is whether your exam will be word-limited. If you have a low-ish word limit, I see no value in gaining a deeper understanding of the doctrine with a hornbook. Two of my exams had low word limits and there was not enough space to go down the rabbit hole. It was more like pointing out that there was a hole and giving the cliff notes version of what you would find down there.